Greying

 “Age is not all decay. It is the ripening, the swelling, of the fresh life within that withers and bursts the husk.”‑ George MacDonald

 

“As for old age, embrace and love it.  It abounds with pleasure if you know how to use it. The gradually declining years

 are among the sweetest of life….” — Seneca

Old age, especially an honored old age, has so great an authority, that this is of more value than all the pleasures of youth.” —Cicero

“Grow old with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life,

 for which the first was made.” — Robert Browning

If a look in the mirror has revealed a greying, wrinkling individual consider yourself in luck. Contrary to the messages about ageing that are broadcast widely, by this immature culture, you have at last come to fulfillment. This is the age of actualization. It is the time when what has lain latent in one’s being bursts forth.  Grey and white are the colors of ripened human fruit.

I’m not writing these words simply to extoll what has been undervalued and neglected. I’m writing them because a tidal wave of fulfillment is headed this way. The longevity revolution has given us more time and a broader perspective. Combining, as it is doing, with the demographic shift that is now happening (the baby-boomers are coming to the dance), and one is being thrust into an evolutionary moment — an age where ageing gives our species a renewed chance at evolving.

This is a watershed, historical, original time. Never before has there been the kind of human consciousness that exists now, having such a prolonged chance, to stare into the big picture of Life. Change seems likely. No one knows what that change might look like. Our species has dug a deep hole; it’s hard to imagine a way out of it. This moment is full enough with tenuousness and uncertainty that it pulls for enhanced creativity and engagement. And guess what some of the hallmarks of human aging are. That’s right! The time has come when the most mature offer the greatest hope.

I’m impressed by this synchronicity. It’s like Life has planned for this contingency. Some, who have given their lives to bringing a special kind of awareness to us all, say that, “Love provides what’s needed at the moment that it is needed’” Now, I can see for myself how this might be true. Ageing has never been so prevalent, as in this time, when maturity is really needed.

Of course, there are tasks that have to be done, efforts that must be made, risks that must be taken. Freedom, even to create, is never free. The shackles of a wrong-headed culture must be thrown off. The roots of this ageist prejudice, which lie within, must be faced, and overcome too. Getting old and grey may be timely, but it isn’t without its trials. To actualize the enormous potential inherent in us, and in this moment, is our great responsibility. The gift that is innate to us is wrapped within our very nature. To fulfill that nature, and evolve as we can, we have to be prepared to honor what Creation is doing with us.

Getting old, and honoring the time we have, and who we have become, is a big part of recognizing the larger picture. Life has not left us here to rot, but to become the good investment that makes us a worthy part of the dance. Creation relies on us doing our part. It has provided us with the opportunity. Now we just need to age as fully and as creatively as Life inspires us to do.

Life will go on. The primary question that hangs over us all, is will we go with it? We will — one way or another — we are going to be a nutrient. I think a greying one. How? That is a question that has a multitude of answers, as many as there are people who feel called to this moment. Each holds a key. And, as they grey and ripen, as we grey and ripen, I can only say, “Let the love of who we are, be in what we do.”

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For more pieces like this go to www.elderssalon.blogspot.com

To hear archived versions of our radio program Growing An Elder Culture go to www.elderculture.com

To read excerpts, or otherwise learn, about Embracing Life go to www.davidgoff.net